[QUOTE=Mad_Dog_1965;1602715019]From what I've seen, for a cheap engine or a reman engine Blue Print is my choice, I went to their facility looking for anything I could criticize and actually I left impressed. Now I never was able to check sizing or details, but for a reman shop their going to be hard to beat. I can tell you stories about Phoenix engine rebuilders!

 

i am located in SF Bay Area but am not having much luck with my search. it appears that all the most experienced people are in the mid west and back East. i

 

Mike Lewis or S&S

Mike Lewis is a excellent shop as well as excellent people! in the 707 area code.

 

Just for an FYI,
LJ’s in Napa always closes between Christmas and New Years.
Corvette Express in Vacaville is also a great repair and restoration shop who specialize in C1’s C2’s and C3’s.
They don’t do engine rebuilds and send all their restoration engine rebuilds to LJ’s.
I’ve also heard good things about Mike Lewis, but I’ve never been to his shop or done any business with him.

 

Mike Lewis is in Laytonville, and S&S Is located in San Leandro. Mike was my choice, for my build, it was a great experience. Topped off by watching Dyno pulls. Then I had Henry Ole in Burlingame, tune the motor. Highly recommend for carburetor or ignition work.
Bob

 

Love you guys man!! i am getting good replies and will be a very good start for me.

 

I contacted LJ's and John is booked until Jun 2021.i heard of Joes Engine Shop in Concord, CA. I am going to give them all a call to get more details. THANKS GUYS!!

 

Purchase a vortech motor from anywhere ////355 cu- with 375 hp is the best....complete ready to go with cast or aluminum heads,,,all your hardware will go directly on the block,,,save matching number block for later build if necessary,,,good luck

 

This forum is GREAT!! i am getting lots of good leads. some will charge more than others and is definitely something to think about as the cost is more than what i want to spend. It is a very difficult choice.

 

I have numbers matching 383...I love it but only have about 2k miles on it....I'm a little scared - the motor is 500+ on the dino but the torq is wayyyyy, way fun at nearly 550....its fun - but I don't want to lose it - I have it planned for my grandson -- so --I'm building another motor for the little car. I'm not actually turning the wrenches - if you could - that would be fantastic.. I can't right now, my body disapproves - soo. Someone else that I trust is doing it for me. I don't know what your situation is but if it is anything like mine - I would suggest you preserve that original motor - FIX IT - but preserve it - and then find yourself a mechanical toy --- That is what I am doing - just follow your heart and your long term intentions... My .$..02 that, and a buck 99 will buy you a Pepsi cola....

 

i am really leaning towards getting the 327 L79 totally rebuild back to factory specs. It might cost more, but i can enjoy it just like it was back in 1966..

 

Don't leave us hanging....put up the dyno sheets!

 

So - a couple of words of advice.

1) Good parts + Good, Careful Machine Work and Good Careful Assembly Work = a Good Reliable Motor.

2) As leigh1322 said - talk to guys who either spend time at the local road race track or the local dragstrip to see who builds reliable motors - you don't care about finding the last 5 HP - you want reliability.

3) Factory motors were designed to be inexpensive, accountants had more than a little to say about costs for OEM motor components. Don't go cheap. on the rebuild !!! First off - IMHO go with GOOD Connecting Rod bolts (the weakest part of a stock SBC). ARP 2000 Bolts are my minimum. I personally believe in forged pistons, and forged 4340 Steel Rods - even for pure street use. A good forged 4340 Crank is also a good idea - but probably a bit of overkill for your needs. You can get a package with good forged pistons, the forged 4340 Roda, and a forged 4340 Crank - with the good rod bolts for under $2k. To my way of thinking - that's a pretty darn good deal.

5) Go with a good oil pump, and a good (ARP) oil pump driveshaft. Get the pump pickup tack welded to the oil pump.

4) The cylinder heads are probably the most important choice you make - the camshaft choice is probably second. Good Aftermarket heads will outflow factory heads all day long, and flow will make high RPM power. You aren't racing or shifting at 7,500 RPM, so don't go with huge sized Intake ports - someting in the 180cc - 195cc range is probably a good choice for street work. If this is a street only car - don't go crazy with the camshaft selection - pick a cam that is consistent with how you will drive the car, the rear gear, and the rest of the components. Don't be afraid to call a couple of cam companies and ask for suggestions...

5) Spend a few extra bucks on a Good Set of ARP Heat Bolts and a GOOD set of Head Gaskets.

6) Either get the engine builder to break the engine in on the dyno - then tune the ignition and carb - or if that isn't possible, once the engine is in the car - get to a chassis dyno place and get the carb & Ignition tuned.

 

New Update:
Again I have no interest in Blueprint Engines nor do I own any financial profit from this company. Pure customer experience.

Ok ran into some issues this summer. My Blue print engine would not run smooth. No back fire just running rough. This progressed until the motor would not start. Thought it was at the carb so I removed the Holley and installed an Edelbrock 600cm. The car ran great for a few days and started the same thing running rough progressing to no start. I rebuilt the Edelbrock and same thing, ran great for a few days then no start. I called Blueprint and honestly was ready to get the dial tone. Spoke with Brian and was shocked! No crap no finger pointing just diagnosis and was shipped a replacement carb. WOW!!! After install the same thing. At this point I checked the distributer and thought the spark was not strong enough. Called BluePrint again (Brian) and was shipped a replacement distributer. I installed the distributer and called Blueprint to confirm all settings are correct (spoke with Josh this time). Same thing ran great for a few days then no start. I took the float bowls off the carb and noticed that the reusable gaskets were breaking apart like tissue paper. Yup you guessed it called Blueprint again. Brian suggested to check the fuel by cranking the engine and have the fuel pump push fuel into a clear glass. No gas, the fuel pump was shot. Installed a new fuel pump and BINGO. Brain solved a months old problem. The fuel was dirty and contained water. Brian sent me a new carb and I replaced the complete fuel system (tank, lines, fuel pump, filters the works). Carb arrived, installed and adjusted. I reconfirmed all settings of the engine and carb with Blueprint (Brian/Josh) Everything is perfect. The engine is so smooth I put a cup of tea on the air filter and revved the engine a few times. Cup did not move nor a drop spilled.
The point I'm trying to make is I dare anyone to present an engine company that will support their product in this depth after 2 years! Lets put things in prospective, 3 carbs, a complete distributer and days of phone support and troubleshooting. Most companies will tell you the problem is caused by your abuse and after 3 to 6 months it changes to "sorry your out of warranty" and you get a dial tone. I must have been a royal pain in the #@#$#$ this summer but never once did I get the run around. Every call never ended until real testing was conducted and a real solution identified. I bet even GM would not do this, rather hit you with a bunch of warranty violation crap. Now I'm not saying nor painting a picture of a gullible company, they are no fools but the dedication to their product is unreal. Truth be known I will never buy an engine nor recommend to friends any other source (not even the dealer) again in life. I only wish they provided engines for Toyota, Honda, Nissan etc.

One thing I am pissed at. At the time I got my engine Blueprint did not offer a motor/trans package and I had to research a good 5 speed conversion company. A year later they offered the combo. THANKS A LOT BLUEPRINT! (JUST KIDDING)

Honestly though, if you're nervous about purchasing a crate engine as I was, there is truly no need to be with Blueprint. I really think that after warranty they will still attempt to help you out, but I can't confirm this as I have not reached that stage yet.

 

Nice story, thanks for sharing.
What engine/specs did you purchase?
I had my 496 built by a local to me custom builder.
It is sitting in a crate in my garage waiting to get dropped into my 73.
One nice thing is that the builder told me to wait until I'm ready to install it and he will dyno tune it then, because his warranty won't begin until after its tuned, in the car and on the street.

 

You are right about costs being close to each other, crate vs rebuild.

You sound ahead of the game since you already have a stroke crank, rods.

Machine shops that can will do work are hard to find and skill level is questionable.

Then the time aspect of when a shop can do the machine work vs shipping time for a crate.

It is a tough decision.

I would check and verify just what wore on the engine what needs fixing?

That would guide me.

 

Right now quality crank/rods/ pistons are on backorder almost indefinitely so do a little research before starting your project and make some phone calls. Most machine shops are also having trouble getting aftermarket blocks. It took my machine shop just shy of a year to finish my project motor, then it collided with an address change and I'm trying to get caught up to get it installed in my little Vette.

 

Not sure where your “new update” relates, as you have not posted in this thread yet. Did you post in the wrong thread?

This old thread has been hijacked a couple times since the OP. Lets start new topics in new threads.